Trust brings The Most back to life
Taranaki’s longest running independent radio station still broadcasting celebrated making its first profit by blasting Australian rock group AC/DC’s Back in Black across the airwaves.
The Most FM has been part of the Taranaki radio landscape for more than 20 years.
From humble beginnings as a summer time station and then part of Witt polytech’s media studies course, The Most has grown its audience to include listeners from outside of the region who tune in online.
The popular station broadcasts primarily on the 100.4 frequency and has recently acquired a new frequency, 107.4, which has increased its coverage around coastal Taranaki.
The Most was taken over by the Taranaki FM Trust in 2008, after an administrative blunder left it without a broadcasting licence, and during this last financial year it recorded its first profit since then.
‘‘We are fairly comfortably in the black,’’ trustee Kelly Loney said.
Loney said the relationships The Most had with local organisations and events had become more important and helped build a stronger community.
Getting out of the red wasn’t easy. It only has one fulltime employee and relies on more than 40 volunteers to fill all the other roles.
‘‘It’s turning back to what the station really stands for,’’ trustee Warwick Foy, who hosts two weekly shows, said.
The station produces 33 weekly speciality shows and half of its play list is New Zealand music.
‘‘I just think people are tired of the blandness of automated radio and they want real people and real music,’’ Foy said.
Mark Dickie, who also hosts a show on the station, said all of the volunteers shared a passion for music.
‘‘I like sitting in there and having no distractions from the music. Which is not always the case having a young family.’’